Take a Nap. Seriously!

Why in the world would I be writing about taking a nap while at work? That probably seems highly counterproductive to a successful career. For many of my clients, especially those who work on Wall Street, in a hospital setting, law firm or bank, it seems ludicrous. You’re probably rolling your eyes right now thinking:

“If I took a nap at work, I’d get fired!”

Well, napping has become more socially acceptable in the workplace than you might think. Companies like Google, Nike, Ben & Jerry’s and Zappos (to name a few) are encouraging short naps in order to boost health and productivity at work. They know that “drowsiness on the job actually costs U.S. businesses $18 billion a year in lost productivity,” according to a recent report in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

And ABC News cites that “dozens of small medical studies have shown that napping for about 30 minutes to an hour in the early afternoon increases a person’s productivity, alertness and sometimes even their mood.”

But if you don’t work for one of these uber progressive companies (and BTW Uber permits employees to take naps too—but not while driving), you can still strategically sneak in a nap or two in a private office, break room, lounge or yes, even your car if you need to. You might even be the person to create this new movement and policy in your workplace.

Show your supervisor the statistics and get them to adopt the Japanese process of “Inemuri” or rather “sleeping while present.” Heck, it’s probably the next mindfulness movement anyway.

A Healthy Career

A Healthy Career is all about infusing “Zen” into your work—cultivating a career that is sustainable, engaging and supports your overall well-being. It’s my sincere hope that you find, and share, inspiration here that helps you continue to be healthy, happy and successful in all that you do.